Aug 14, 2009

Visiting a Japanese friend's family in their village, having a BBQ lunch, taking a hot spring bath, spending the night in their village home ... and proceeding, the next day, to Yubara, one of the Best Hot springs in Japan kept us busy in this year's O-bon holidays when my mom was with us here in Japan.

The rest in Madhu's & Shibu's words...

Madhu: Long time, no see! Yesterday my whole family took our Grandma and went to see Chiho’s family at their grandparents’ farm in Okayama. It was really wonderful to see our friends after such a long time! All of us had grown up and it was really different, but in a way also the same. We did the same things that we did so many years ago, fish lobster, watch The Book House, go to onsens, and it still felt like a new experience! Mr. and Mrs. Sugiyama treated us like we were family, and they had even put up our picture from four years ago in a frame! The experience was like re-uniting with family, actually. We had barbeque, evening tea, and onigiris! All of us slept heavenly, in the tatami rooms they had provided so generously.

The next day we all had breakfast together, watched the koi , packed all our luggage, took pictures, dragging the farewell as long as we could. It was too sad to say goodbye, it felt like we had just arrived and already we needed to go. All the while, something, everything was familiar, and it wasn’t until we had come home that I realized what it was like. There isn’t a single word to describe it, but you know when you visit your relatives in a different country, and when you have to leave, it feels all too sudden and too soon? Meeting old friends and staying with them is like being with family. You all do everything together, you all clean up after one another, and you all grow up with each other. The sorrow of leaving was so great, even the skies felt our sadness and cried. It was a rainy morning, but the thought of meeting Kozue-san, Chiho, Shu, Takashi-san, and their grandparents again next year was enough to lighten our day up by the afternoon.

Shibu: Don’t we all have times where we feel like traveling to a different world that’s completely isolated from our everyday hassles and encumbrances? Little children fantasize about going to outer space, while many adults working in municipal parts of the world dream about relaxing in Hawaii. Fortunately, I was once again embraced with the opportunity of being captivated by another part of Japan that I believe all foreigners should put on their to-do list. I am referring to the mountain-side villages of Obara, and Yubara, which are both in the Okayama prefecture of Japan.

It is a known fact that Japan is a well-developed and technologically advanced nation that never ceases to amaze the world with its electronics. Many Westerners immediately perceive Japan as a city-dominated island, where endless bullet trains and subways are ubiquitous. What they might not realize is that 70 percent of Japan consists of mountains. I believe that is the “real” Japan.

We are very good friends with a Japanese engineer, Takeshi-san, and his family. Takeshi-san’s parents live in a mountain-side village called Obara. My family and I have been there twice before, and had the great opportunity to go there once more last Wednesday. It was just splendid to enjoy the air outside, which was a temporary cessation to the busy factory atmosphere that permeates the Takasago air. We had a nice barbeque outdoors, and ate till we could eat no more. I also had an interesting time attempting to catch lobsters at a nearby pond, with Takeshi-san’s children, Chi-ho and Shuu. At night we went to a local hot spring, which is a must in Japan as well. We stayed over their house for the night, and by the morning, the family and our family had already established many fond memories within the span of barely one day. As we left that morning, Takeshi-san’s wife, Kosue-san, had engaged in a tear-fest!

After we said our heartfelt (temporary) goodbyes to Takeshi-san’s family, we went on our way to Yubara, another town near along the mountains. This town is famous for its open-air Hot Springs, where one bathe immediately cleanses out your body and soul simultaneously. The Hot Springs are unique as they are completely outdoors, while it is also right besides the road! As my mom and dad bathed in Yubara for a long time, Madhu, my grandmother, and I took a stroll along the small roads of Yubara. After my parents returned, we went to Hiruzen, a town famous for breeding cows. We had a hearty lunch at a restaurant there, while we stopped by a nearby “Michi-no-eki” ( “street market”?) to take a rest before resuming our journey back home.

Well, if you think that was a captivating and mind-blowing trip, you better get over here pretty fast. It’s about time you lose yourself in the “real” Japan.